The invention relates to a wiping cloth which is configured so as to be multi-layered and has at least material layers lying directly on top of one another, of which one first outer material layer forms an external wiping and cleaning layer, and of which at least one second material layer is designed as a storage layer, wherein a cleaning agent is provided in the wiping cloth, and wherein the cleaning agent is configured as cleaning agent that is reactivatable by adding water and so as to lie in at least one of the material layers lying on top of one another.
Wiping cloths for the type mentioned at the outset are used in order to clean wall and in particular floor surfaces with the aid of a cleaning agent, for example. Such wiping cloths are in most instances configured so as to be multi-layered and a wiping and or cleaning face that is intended for impinging the surface to be cleaned, on which face a storage layer bears which receives the cleaning water that is provided for cleaning and in most instances is penetrated by a cleaning agent and successively releases the latter on said wiping and cleaning face. On the periphery, these two material layers lying on top of one another can be sewn to a woven cover fabric which is releasably fastened to a mop holder that serves as a handling means, said woven cover fabric to this end having a hook-and-pile capable surface structure or lateral holding tabs.
Due to the material layers lying on top of one another being sewn on the peripheries in the case of the previously known wiping cloths, and due to the dissimilar properties of the various material layers that are intercombined to form a wiping cloth, there is the problem of no uniform application of a cleaning agent and no uniform cleaning result across the surface to the cleaned being guaranteed by these wiping cloths.
However, it would be desirable, specifically in buildings in which high hygienic requirements are set, for a consistent cleaning result to be able to be expected in any case across a surface that is fixedly established depending on the wiping cloth and on the cleaning liquid stored therein.
A wiping cloth of the type mentioned at the outset is known from US 2009/286437 A1, said wiping cloth being made in the form of sheets from a fibrous material. Microcapsules which are capable of being burst open and which are filled with a cleaning agent are provided in the known wiping cloth. To the extent that the known wiping cloth is designed so as to be multi-layered, these microcapsules can be disposed between a first and a second material layer. By adding water, the microcapsules that accommodate the cleaning agent therein become soft and burst open in an accordingly easy manner, wherein the cleaning liquid is transferred from these microcapsules that have been burst open into the fibrous material of the known wiping cloth.
In the case of the wiping cloth known from US 2009/286437 A1, the required cleaning agent is encapsulated in microcapsules. The cleaning agent is not reactivated by adding water; rather, the microcapsules become soft in such a manner that they may easily burst and release the cleaning liquid. However, it is disadvantageous that the material that is required as the capsule wall for the microcapsules must not have any cleaning effect per se and by forming stripes and streaks can even compromise the visual impact of cleaning. Since the microcapsules are sensitive to pressure and can also burst open prematurely, the known wiping cloth prior to the use thereof and in particular also during the manufacturing thereof cannot be subjected to high mechanical stress.
A wiping cloth which is intended for use as a cleaning cloth for a floor mopping apparatus is already known from DE 10 2010 036 568 A1. The known wiping cloth is constructed so as to be multi-layered and has a storage tier and a cleaning tier. This cleaning tier is functionally connected to a backing tier. While the cleaning tier is designed so as to be sufficiently robust in order to ensure a long service life of the known wiping cloth even on different floors, the storage tier is intended to ensure a controlled absorption of liquid and to guarantee that no liquid exits the cleaning cloth in an uncontrolled manner when the known wiping cloth is being fastened to the floor mopping apparatus. During the operation of the floor mopping apparatus, the storage tier releases the liquid to the cleaning tier in a uniform manner. Since the backing layer as compared to the storage unit has a lower permeability to liquid, the backing tier can act in an advantageously decelerating manner on the release of fluid between the storage tier and the cleaning tier.
In the case of the wiping cloth known from DE 2010 036 568 A1, the release of the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned depends on how much the known wiping cloth has been soaked in the cleaning fluid by the cleaning personnel. By contrast, a precisely metered absorption of cleaning liquid and a controlled release of the cleaning liquid during the wiping procedure is neither possible nor envisaged.
A washable and reusable cleaning cloth which is loaded with a cleaning agent even in the dry state, wherein the cleaning agent that is contained in the dry cleaning cloth can be reactivated by adding water, is known from EP 2 502 534 A1. However, a multi-layered design embodiment of the known cleaning cloth is not provided in EP 2 502 534 A1.
A dish-washing cloth which has a first layer from a non-woven water-repellant material, said first layer being connected to a second material layer which on the surface carries a cleaning paste having a surfactant and said second material layer on that flat side thereof that faces away from the first layer has a fused layer of abrasive neps or hooks, is already known from WO 03/043480 A1.
The known dish-washing cloth which is not made from a textile material can replace a cleaning sponge. On account of the partially even very abrasive surface, the known dish-washing cloth can also release heavy contaminations. However, the known dish-washing cloth is not intended for applying a cleaning agent in a planar manner to floors or walls.
A microfiber cleaning cloth which is composed of a plurality of tiers from an elastic material and a non-elastic material and is distinguished by an enhanced absorbency in the stretched state is already known from WO 93/07323 A1. However, this known microfiber cleaning cloth is also not composed of a textile material and is neither envisaged nor suitable as a wiping cloth for a floor mopping apparatus.
A cleaning cloth which is intended for use as a disposable cloth is intended for the once-only cleaning of hard surfaces is already known from WO 2013/171343 A2. The known cleaning cloth has a paper tier which is connected to a fibrous tier which contains microcapsules. A cleaning agent is located in these microcapsules. Since the known cleaning cloth is not made from a textile material, the former is neither envisaged nor suitable for multiple use. Since the cleaning agent is encapsulated in microcapsules, this cleaning cloth is not capable of unlimited mechanical stress without the cleaning agent unintentionally exiting the microcapsules.